A BRAND new lift at Blackburn Station will stand unused for weeks until staff can get together for a half-hour training session, according to rail bosses.

The lift is part of a huge refurbishment programme of the station and was ready to use months ago.

But Railtrack say it cannot be used until after every member of staff working at the station -- and every member of staff likely to fill in for others -- has had a one-off training session on evacuation procedures.

They say staff who are likely to fill in for others when they are off sick must be included in the training session, which must be organised around staff rotas.

They don't want to ask the trainer to attend more than once, so they want all staff at the session.

A spokesman for the Health and Safety Executive said: "Rules state that staff must know how to operate the lift in the case of an emergency -- such as if it breaks down between floors -- before it becomes operational."

But John Moorhouse, secretary of the Rail Passengers' Committee North West, which campaigns for improvements, said: "The problems at Blackburn have been well-documented and it is worrying that things are taking so long.

"By not opening the lift, it is excluding the most vulnerable people, like the elderly and disabled. They are people who rely on public transport the most.

"Surely they could do several training sessions to get all the staff trained so at least the lift can be used."

The lift carries passengers from the underpass to the platform, saving people a walk up two steep inclines to the platforms.

It is designed to help disabled and infirm people get on to the high-level platforms.

Keith Lumley, media relations manager with Railtrack North West, said: "The actual training is quite a short procedure, but we are currently working with First North Western to arrange for all staff to be trained.

"Everyone who might need to be brought into Blackburn Station when other staff are off sick, or for whatever reason they may need to come over, will also need to be trained in the evacuation procedures in the event of the lift breaking down.

"We will not bring the lift into use until all the staff who work at the station and any others have all been thoroughly trained. I can understand that it is frustrating for people who can see a new lift but can't use it."

The opening of the station's new ticket office has also been put on hold due to paperwork which has not arrived from the Strategic Rail Authority.

Railtrack is waiting for a "minor closure certificate" which gives it permission to move from the old ticket office to the new one.

It will then need two weeks to move all the equipment from the current office to the new one.

Mr Lumley said: "It can seem like bureaucratic red tape but it has to be done. It is a new, better facility, but it has to be opened properly. This kind of certificate was brought in to stop unscrupulous rail companies closing facilities for passengers. Even in this case, we must still go through the process."

It is the latest in a long line of controversies which have erupted as a result of the railway station's £11million refit.

The station's new waiting room remained locked weeks after completion because there were not enough staff to announce train arrivals and monitor behaviour on the platform.

Had the new arrivals and departures screens been working, First North Western -- which will operate the station when Railtrack finishes the work -- claim the waiting room could have opened.

The waiting room has now opened -- but the new screens have yet to be brought into life.

The underpass linking the platforms is leaking, while the new Dome covering the railway platforms is also prone to letting the rain through.

The new toilets have only just opened -- again after pressure was put on railway bosses by fed up commuters.

A spokesman for First North Western Trains said: "Railtrack have yet to provide us with a date when the left can be fully operational after staff safety training has been carried out.

"We will be pressing Railtrack to provide us with the date."

Coun Edward Harrison said: "As I am disabled, this is an urgent matter but they seem to be putting the cart before the horse.

"Building the underpass was stupid because it is a mugger's paradise and impossible to get out of because the ramp is so steep.

"We need the lift desperately. Surely paying someone to do more than one session is better than leaving disabled people to struggle on to the platform. Careful planning means not all of them would have to come up at once."